Aerial view of graves of Covid-19 victims at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Amazon state, Brazil, on April 15 Michael Dantas/AFP/Getty Images
Brazil has now surpassed 400,000 deaths from coronavirus. The country's health ministry reported more than 3,000 new Covid-19 deaths Thursday, raising the total number of deaths recorded during the pandemic to 401,186.
Brazil is the second country worldwide to officially pass that grim milestone, following the United States, which is nearing 575,000 deaths.
The South American country's death toll rapidly increased after the Christmas and New Year holidays – when people often travel during school and company summer breaks – turning 2021 into the most severe period in Brazil’s outbreak since the novel coronavirus reached the country in March 2020.
"With sadness all around, Brazil today registers 400,000 victims of Covid-19,” Carlos Lula, president of the Nacional Council of Health Secretaries, said in a statement.
“The number reflects the pain of families that lost parents, grandparents, children and siblings in a fast, violent and often lonely way. It also reflects mismanagement and the lack of centralized coordination at the federal level.”
As the Covid-19 death toll has risen in Brazil, where far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has resisted lockdowns and overseen an often slow and bumpy vaccine rollout, young people are making up a greater share of deaths as older Brazilians are among the few to have secured a vaccine.
Fiocruz, a Brazilian public health research institute, recently reported that patients between the ages of 20 to 29 had the most pronounced increase in Covid-19 deaths among all adults between early January and mid-April this year.
Data from the first full epidemiological week of January compared to the second week of April showed that deaths among Covid-19 patients in that age group grew 1,081%.
In the meantime, Brazil's vaccination campaign is running at a slow pace, with about 6% of its 210 million people fully vaccinated. Several state capitals halted vaccinations this week due to a shortage of Coronavac, one of four approved vaccines in Brazil.
Canada's economy expanded at a 6.5 per cent pace in the first three months of 2021, as the service sector is showing signs of coming out of the COVID-19 doldrums even as large parts of goods-producing industries are still lagging.
Statistics Canada reported Friday that Canada's gross domestic product expanded by 0.4 per cent in February alone. That came on the heels of a larger 0.7 per cent spike in January. But coupled with preliminary data for March showing 0.9 per cent growth, that puts Canada on track for healthy growth for the quarter as a whole.
"So, even with much more forceful restrictions, a slower vaccine roll-out, and without the help of the two mega U.S. stimulus packages at the start of the year, somehow the Canadian economy matched the U.S. step for step through the winter months," Bank of Montreal economist Doug Porter said of the numbers. "That is impressive."
March's numbers are preliminary, so they may change in an update next month. But February's numbers are now final and they paint a picture of an economy having an uneven convalescence from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fourteen of the 20 industries the data agency tracks posted gains, including sectors hit hard by the first waves of COVID-19, including retail and food and accommodation.
Retail sales jumped 4.5 per cent, following two months of contraction in December and January as lockdowns started up again.
The food and accommodation sector has been walloped by COVID-19 shutdowns, but it expanded by 3.5 per cent. That's the first monthly increase since August 2020.
On the flip side, manufacturing shrank for the second month in a row, this time by 0.9 per cent. And mining, quarrying and oil and gas contracted by 2.8 per cent, while transportation shrank by two per cent.
While it was encouraging to see overall growth picking up after a 2020 that ended up being the worst year on record for Canada's economy, economist Sri Thanabalasingam with TD Bank said the numbers still show how long and slow the recovery from COVID-19 will be, as the virus is still very much affecting Canada's economy.
"February, and even March, seem like a long time ago don't they?" he said in a note to clients after the numbers came out.
While vaccination efforts are ramping up and offer hope that things can get back to normal sometime this summer, "this timeline is uncertain. What's more certain is that the next phase of the recovery will require vaccines to gain the upper hand on the virus. Fingers crossed this happens sooner rather than later."
Inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, in January, healthcare workers get ready to inject residents with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Frank Augstein/The Associated Press
Researchers in Britain have found that one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provides insufficient protection against new variants of the COVID-19 virus and urged public-health officials to be vigilant about ensuring that people receive a second injection.
“We’re looking rather vulnerable to variants after one dose,” said Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London who co-authored the research.
Dr. Altmann said the findings were especially relevant to countries such as Britain, where most people have had only one dose of a vaccine so far. More than 34.2 million people in the United Kingdom have had one shot and 14.5 million have had two.
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“For the situation of countries like the U.K., we’re saying hang on a minute, those people are doing well at the moment, and the U.K. has done well, but watch out and keep your eye on the ball for the variants because [people] are far more vulnerable than you might have expected to the variant strains,” he told a media briefing on Friday.
In a study released Friday, the scientists tracked 731 British health care workers for several months last year. About half of those in the study group had contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in March, 2020, while the remainder had not been infected.
The study found that those who’d previously had a mild or even asymptomatic infection had a far higher immune response after one dose of the Pfizer vaccine than those who hadn’t been ill. The immune response was so strong, the study said, that it also offered good protection against the variants first detected in Britain and South Africa.
The study “is basically showing that if you’ve had prior COVID-19, and then you’ve had a single dose vaccine, you are really in a different league in terms of your immune response,” said Rosemary Boyton, a professor of immunology and respiratory medicine at Imperial College who co-authored the study. “It’s almost like the infection has acted as a prime and the first dose has acted as a boost.”
However, the group of volunteers who had not been infected showed a much weaker immune response to the variants after one dose. The study showed that their level of neutralizing antibodies was 11- to 25-fold lower against the B. 1.1.7 variant compared with the original version of the virus, “resulting in the majority of individuals falling below the protective threshold.”
The research team said their findings also likely apply to other variants in circulation, such as the P.1, first detected and Brazil, and the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants, first associated with India.
While Britain has seen a dramatic drop in infections, deaths and hospitalizations since January, when a variant detected outside London began to spread rapidly, Dr. Altmann urged caution given that new mutations have surfaced.
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“One dose in terms of all of our measurable immune parameters of [the Pfizer vaccine] really does look very, very feeble and all the more so against variants,” he said. “And yet whatever the level of immunity that it’s induced, it’s certainly been enough to have had some impact. But it’s really very, very weak compared to two doses. My message from that would be hang on in there for your second dose.”
Both researchers stressed that they weren’t suggesting that vaccines won’t work, but that the public should be careful about the level of protection one jab offers.
“All I would say loud and clear is we’re definitely not saying that the vaccines are useless,” Dr. Altmann said. “We’re actually saying the vaccines are incredibly good. But what we are saying for a country for example like the U.K. that has the majority of its vaccinated people on one dose and also has one eye on the horizon for any incoming variants of concern, that’s a potential real vulnerability. And a solution would be to keep up your guard on the surveillance of variants and get the second dose to people.”
Britain reported 2,381 infections on Friday and 15 deaths as the pandemic continued to show signs of easing. By contrast, the daily infection total in January was frequently above 60,000, and more than 1,200 deaths were announced each day.
Figures released Friday from Public Health England also showed that more than half of the U.K.’s population – 34.5 million people – live in parts of the country that have gone two weeks without a single death from the virus.
“We have come a long way since the beginning of the year, when we saw 20 times the level of infection we see now,” said Sarah Crofts, who runs a weekly infection survey at the Office for National Statistics. “The infection rate has continued to decrease across the U.K., and we are back to levels seen near the end of last summer.”
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Health columnist André Picard answers reader questions about COVID-19 variants, how effective the various vaccines are and the impact of on-again, off-again lockdowns.The Globe and Mail
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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s top doctor and the head of the Fraser Health Authority are both apologizing for miscommunication that led to thousands of people across the region scrambling to get a spot at pop-up clinics in region over the past few days.
The clinics have been halted, and it’s unclear if they will start up again.
Dr. Victoria Lee, who is the head of the Fraser Health Authority, says she’s sorry many people were forced to wait more than four hours to get immunized against COVID-19, while others in target groups were never notified.
“I sincerely apologize for any negative experience that people may have had. There was confusion and frustration,” she said.
The rollout of the pop-up clinics had been described by many as chaotic, with many only hearing about the clinics through word of mouth.
The clinics were offering vaccine doses to people aged 30 and up, which was the first time most British Columbians under the age of 40 were eligible.
The purpose of the clinics was to get more people living in COVID-19 high-transmission neighbourhoods vaccinated, but there were some people showing up and getting a shot who do not live in those areas.
A few hundred people lined up at Newton Athletic Park early Thursday morning, however Fraser Health confirmed there would be no clinics anywhere in the region that day. The day before, the park was the site of long lines as well as people — many drawn by word of mouth — showed up in hopes of getting a jab.
Lee says improvements have already been made in an effort to ensure people are not jumping the queue.
“We did implement dual confirmation of age and postal codes. That is an improvement we have made and we’ll be looking at any additional enhancements that we can make,” she said.
However, there are currently no plans to offer any more pop-up clinics.
When it comes to concerns of people who may be trying to get their second dose ahead of people who are trying to get their first, Lee assures there are measures in place to ensure those people looking for their second dose early are turned away.
“When people come into the clinics … not just from the pop-ins but other clinics, as well — there is a system in place,” she said.
“We can check at the clinic whether they’ve had their first dose or not. That’s an important safety measure. Also, it’s important to have at least minimum dates apart between first and second doses.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry apologizes for chaos, says more than a million doses on the way
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also issued an apology Thursday.
“There were some operational things that were done — or not done — that caused a lot of frustration and I absolutely apologize to people for the miscommunications and for the confusion,” Henry said.
“That was certainly not the intent. The intent was to try and reach those people in those communities,” she added.
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Henry says B.C. will be getting a boost of vaccine doses in the coming month.
“We expect to receive over 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. And that means that our age based program will be accelerated and everybody will get their turn,” she said.
She believes first responders, teachers, and childcare staff will be able to receive a dose in the coming weeks.
“We expect to have those groups completed in the next three weeks, so by the … middle of May. So that’s the goal,” she said.
BC provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry is apologizing for confusion and frustration caused by unannounced pop-up and walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics. She says everyone in BC should be eligible by July. pic.twitter.com/OP2Nq4q3uY
Henry is urging everyone to be patient and wait their turn.
“If you’re not in those communities, do not go to those communities,” she said. “You will get your vaccine and there is enough vaccine coming in the next two months that everybody will get their turn. The most efficient way to do it is to register, and you’ll be notified as soon as your age category comes up and you can book yourself into the clinic that will have your vaccine for you.”
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On Thursday, B.C. recorded 853 new COVID-19 cases and one death.
There are more than 500 people in the hospital, 178 of whom are in intensive care.
When Amanda Henderson Jones got the email that her university would be offering COVID-19 vaccines on campus across the border in Detroit, she knew getting one would be the quickest way to ensure she could re-join in-person classes come September.
She’s a law student at the University of Windsor’s Canadian & American Dual J.D. Program, where several of the classes are taught at the University of Detroit Mercy.
“We were hoping that if we got the vaccine, we’d be able to return to campus,” she told Daily Hive. “We figured it’s best to get it.”
After clarifying with the university that Canadian students were included in the eligibility, Henderson Jones renewed her student visa and got in a friend’s car to drive 20 minutes across the border to the campus clinic.
Coming back home to Windsor took more logistical work. Henderson Jones and her friend needed to figure out what pre-crossing COVID-19 test was necessary, take a second test at the border, and quarantine for two weeks once at home with a third self-administered test at the 10-day mark.
She got her first vaccine dose on April 13 and is set to get her second in early May. She’ll have quarantined for a total of four weeks by the time she’s fully vaccinated.
“Because I was in a different position with school, of course, I’d do it again,” she said. “My top priority is returning to school ASAP.”
For those who can work from home, waiting for a shot in Canada would be less hassle, she said.
Henderson Jones is part of a collection of Canadians who are going to the US for one reason or another to get vaccinated before they’d be eligible in Canada.
Although they didn’t want to go on the record, Daily Hive spoke to a number of Canadians who own property in the US or are dual citizens who travelled to the US in order to get their shot.
Some states don’t require individuals to be residents to get a vaccine, and Alaska will begin offering shots to tourists landing at the state’s major airports starting in June.
I’m announcing today that any tourist coming into Alaska this summer at our major airports will be able to get a #CovidVaccine free of charge. #akgov#Alaska#COVID19
But some Canadian health officials say going to the US for a vaccine puts the traveller at risk of exposure to COVID-19 along the way.
“I can appreciate that some people might see this as an opportunity to help free up spots [in Canada],” Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, said at a news conference Wednesday. “But there is currently a Stay-at-Home order in place … The more we move around, the more we contribute to COVID-19 spread.”
A spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada told Daily Hive Canadians should still avoid non-essential travel outside the country until further notice.
“Now is not the time to travel,” the spokesperson said. “COVID-19 vaccines are free and will be made available to everyone in Canada for whom they are approved and recommended for use.”
Everyone entering Canada from abroad must get tested for COVID-19 and undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.
Canadian Real Estate Markets Crammed Up To 15 Years of Price Gains Into One Year Better DwellingView Full coverage on Google News
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vYmV0dGVyZHdlbGxpbmcuY29tL2NhbmFkaWFuLXJlYWwtZXN0YXRlLW1hcmtldHMtY3JhbW1lZC11cC10by0xNS15ZWFycy1vZi1wcmljZS1nYWlucy1pbnRvLW9uZS15ZWFyL9IBcGh0dHBzOi8vYmV0dGVyZHdlbGxpbmcuY29tL2NhbmFkaWFuLXJlYWwtZXN0YXRlLW1hcmtldHMtY3JhbW1lZC11cC10by0xNS15ZWFycy1vZi1wcmljZS1nYWlucy1pbnRvLW9uZS15ZWFyL2FtcC8?oc=5
Nova Scotia announced 70 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and said 548 active cases remain in the province.
The number is down from the 75 cases reported on Wednesday, and the record total of 96 on Tuesday.
Even though cases numbers have gone down slightly, Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said two days does not make a trend, but Nova Scotia is going in that direction.
Strang also said the province now has the highest level of activity since the pandemic started. This is why people must wait longer for their test results to come back.
“If you have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, do not wait for public health to call you. Start isolating right away,” he said.
Strang said there’s more than 4,000 who have been identified as high-risk contacts and told to isolate for 14 days.
“There’s hundreds if probably not thousands more have had lower risk exposures in that Halifax area,” he said.
People with lower risk exposures just need to get a test, but if someone has been identified as a moderate risk they need to isolate until they get their test results back.
Premier Iain Rankin, who was also at the COVID-19 briefing Thursday, said that the province is working on a package to support businesses during this time, but did not provide any specific details.
He also said the province’s immunization plan is gaining speed.
First day of lockdown as Nova Scotia enters third wave of COVID-19
First day of lockdown as Nova Scotia enters third wave of COVID-19
“As long as we continue to get supply, we will have an opportunity for every Nova Scotian to get a vaccine shot by June,” said Rankin.
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Strang also reminded Nova Scotians tthe outdoors is much safer than indoors when it comes to COVID-19.
“We want people to keep active and be outdoors for their mental and physical health,” he said, adding that people must keep a six feet distance from others.
New cases
Of the new cases, 59 are in the central zone, nine are in the eastern zone, and two are in the northern zone.
So far, Fourteen people are in hospital, including four in the ICU.
Due to technical difficulties, the province said the total number of tests and number of tests completed at the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs on April 28 is not available.
As of April 28, 304,187 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 35,994 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
Since Oct. 1, there have been 1,271 positive COVID-19 cases and two deaths. There are 721 resolved cases.
House hunters at a real-estate showing prepare to see how far their dollars can go. Buyers across the country seem unfazed by skyrocketing prices. Sales were up in March 70 per cent compared to a year ago. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg - image credit)
The pandemic has pummelled many industries in Canada. Real estate isn't one of them.
House prices are soaring, with the average national price now standing at $716,828, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association's MLS system. That's up 31.6 per cent in a year, the biggest annual gain on record. The prices haven't curbed demand either; sales were up in March by 70 per cent compared to a year ago.
According to Leo Otto, a real-estate appraiser, price hikes are not limited to the hot zones like Toronto. He says the pandemic has unleashed buyers from Toronto and its commuter suburbs and pushed the real-estate frenzy into smaller cities like London, Ont., and Windsor.
"You get the lifestyle, you get larger lots, you get more bang for your buck in housing," he said.
So what do you get for nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in Canada? CBC looked through listings on April 26 and 27 and found homes across the country whose prices sit around the national average. Some city centres had no homes for sale around $716,000. In that case, lower-priced homes were chosen.
Vancouver
For $716,000, buyers will have a hard time finding anything other than a one-bedroom condominium like this one, which was listed for $719,000. Still, the hot market has prompted the province's real-estate watchdog and regulator to warn buyers to do their research and be aware of risks before making an offer.
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(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
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(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
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(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
Calgary
The benchmark price — the typical price of a home — in Calgary rose to $441,900 in March. This townhouse, on the market for $719,900, includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms, far more than what could be purchased in Vancouver for a similar price.
(Realtor.ca)
(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
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(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
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(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
Regina
With an asking price of $719,000, this property boasts enough space for a workout area, a selling point for many people in the pandemic. Saskatchewan's market has exploded due to people looking for larger homes during the pandemic. "This past February was the busiest February ever in the history of all Saskatchewan MLS," said Tanya LaRose, of Royal LePage Varsity.
Winnipeg's average selling price last month was $318,074, according to the Manitoba Real Estate Association. So for $699,900, a potential buyer could own a large five-bedroom home. The association says that fewer properties are coming on the market, pushing prices upward.
At 967 square feet, this condo is considerably larger than the ones located in Toronto and Vancouver. It also has a more spacious patio with a view. Still, buyers in Montreal will likely only find duplexes and condos selling for the national average price. This one is listed for $715,000.
This three-bedroom townhouse, on the market for $695,000, is just a short walk to downtown. The Nova Scotia Association of Realtors says that 1,577 units were sold across the province last month, a new sales record for the month of March and an increase of more than 65 per cent from March 2020.
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(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Realtor.ca)
(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
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(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
Charlottetown
According to data released by the Prince Edward Island Real Estate Association, the average cost of a home jumped 21.9 per cent from last year, frustrating islanders looking to buy their first home. This property has a river view and is listed at $695,000.
This house, built in 1895, was recently renovated with high-end details and millwork, which can be seen in the living and dining room. It's on the market for $699,999. The province's hot housing market persists despite the negative economic outlook. Realtors believe some of this is being driven by Newfoundlanders looking to return from other provinces.
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